A few thoughts about Films,Games, Television amongst other things.

The Grand Tour – Episode 1 Review

Top Tour – The boys are back and showing that not only the format of the show is what made it popular but that it is also in no small part down to the three leads themselves.

Watching episode 1 of the grand tour felt like catching up with old friends for a fun weekend that none of you have had chance to do for a over a year. You may have tried doing the same things with new friends (as the BBC did with Top Gear) but you can’t replace those that you have known for so long, it’s just not the same without them.

To this end all of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are on terrific form. You can see how much they seem to be enjoying themselves once again and this on-screen friendship is really the draw of The Grand Tour, add in motoring madness for those who like cars and you have a winning combination.

The show capably and humorously pokes fun at the leads and their past show in indirect ways that can’t help but bring a wry smile to your face. Some examples (No Spoilers) would two scenes, one involving a falling out over cultural differences and another poking fun at the decreasingly popular celebrity interview portion of Top Gear.

As for the content on this episode? The Grand Tour leapt off the grid with a strong first episode showcasing 3 incredible dream hyper cars in a dream location, once again reminding us they may have the best job in the world. The usual ‘Top Gear-ish’ antics then go on to occur and while that is nothing we have not seen before it still delivers and makes for entertaining and exciting viewing.

It remains to be seen how well the format of each show in a different place will work, but based only off episode 1, it seems like it won’t make a huge difference to the show. They still have a set to work in and the only difference will be the crowd and the ‘on set’ jokes at the crowd’s expense. Certainly, nothing to be concerned about but to keep an eye on.

It’s great to know that the series will be 12 episodes long, this was something that many people found frustrating about Top Gear. Due to its limited budget, the more ambitious they got, the less episodes could occur in each season. This is of course no longer an issue with the financial might of Amazon behind them, plus the fact Amazon are banking on The Grand Tour as its real ‘Platform Seller’ the show that will convince people to sign up to Amazon Prime to watch it. Like how a Halo game is exclusive to Xbox or Uncharted to PlayStation.

Overall:

The Grand Tour feels like hanging out having fun with old friends just like you used to. Its familiar but exciting, you know what to expect but that is just fine as you know it’s going to be fun and exciting.

All three leads are on form and demonstrate once more there on screen and real world chemistry that really makes their shows what they are.

The motoring action features what everyone wants to see, not a Fiat Panda road test, but three hyper cars doing things any car fan would love to do but never will, at least we can watch and be a part of it.

I’m excited to see what else happens on Season 1 of The Grand Tour, If its anything like the cars they like to show, then were only just revving up now, so fasten your seatbelts.